Where the heart is
by inzaghina
Summary: After being left on the steps of the church Booth knows that there is no home without Brennan and Christine. In order to get his family back he needs to prove that Pelant is the killer. Set after 7.13
1. Home is where the heart is

**Disclaimer: Bones is not mine, I've tried to ask HH, but he won't share!**

**AN: I know I just barely started a story, but the finale was just too much for me to handle and this popped into my head and I had to write it. I don't know if it's going to be a one shot or a short story. I just hope you like it.**

Sitting down on the steps of the Church where they had just baptized his little girl Seeley Booth felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. Max had told him that he knew all about being a fugitive and he was damn right about that, he should have punched him when he had the chance. Sure, deep down he knew that Bones and his baby girl were going to be okay with Max, on the run until Pelant was going to be caught and sent to prison. He knew that he should be feeling relieved because they were safer away from DC, but somehow he could not help but feeling desperate and a little resentful. He didn't know how long he sat there, after a while though, the sky started to darken and he decided it was time to go home. Home… did he even had one anymore? Wasn't there a saying about that? _Home is where the heart is_. Yeah, that was it. If the motto was true it meant that home was in that ordinary silver car that had driven away hours prior from that same spot. He felt tears pricking in his eyes and let them fall freely, deciding that he could stay there a little longer. When he finally got to the house they were still finishing decorating he felt a pang of sadness. He didn't think he would find her there, but he did have a glimmer of hope accompanying him in the drive. When he saw the dark building he knew. That's when he finally grasped the concept. They were gone. And how fast they would come back home depended just from him. Well, him and the squint squad. Shutting the car down he entered the empty house and closed the door behind himself.

After driving for hours, only stopping to feed and change Christine, Brennan stopped for the night in a small, quiet motel her dad had suggested. She paid for the night in cash and bought also a bottle of water. She got inside the small room and looked at her daughter "It will be okay" she whispered "Daddy will make it all okay!" she said taking her from the car seat and holding her close, smelling her hair and letting herself cry. After a little while she could sense Christine's discomfort and she let the baby go, putting her once again in the car seat. She took a look at her surrounding and sighed. She didn't feel like eating, her stomach was clenched in knots, but she knew that she had to eat something, since she hadn't eaten anything all day. She opened her purse and fished out two granola bars from it. Remembering they had been there since the last time Parker had come over, they had gone to the zoo and she had packed granola bars for them to eat as a snack. The boy loved it and his dad always told her that she was changing his boy into a healthy food fan. How could they have gone from being a happy family on a zoo trip to this? They had told each other that they would have not let Pelant change their lives, but it was too late for that now. That creep had already changed everything and she just hoped that running away had been the right choice.

After lying awake in their bed for what felt like hours Booth decided to go in the living room and turn on TV and that's how he was found by Special Agent Flynn and his team when they came to their house with a new search warrant and the arrest warrant Caroline had not written, forcing them to find another prosecutor.

The doorbell ringed and he got up to answer, sure it was not going to be her, because she would have used her keys.

"Hey Booth… sorry for the late hours, but I'm back with a search warrant for the house and an arrest warrant for Dr. Temperance Brennan" said Flynn.

"Search all you want" answered him after checking the address on the warrant, letting the agents pass "But I'm sorry to tell you that you won't find Temperance Brennan in this house" he added.

"What are you talking about?" asked Flynn.

"She's gone" was his dull answer.

"Gone where?"

"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you because you're trying to arrest the mother of my child!"

"That's obstruction of justice, Booth!"

"No it isn't! I really don't know where Brennan and Christine are. I think Brennan's dad is on the run with them"

"Brennan's father as in Max Keenan? The guy who killed a deputy director of the FBI?" asked Flynn.

Booth just nodded and Flynn could not help, but feeling sympathetic with the guy.

"So you have no idea about their whereabouts?" he asked again for confirmation.

"No, I don't" he answered letting himself fall on the sofa.

Minutes passed and Booth was left alone in his living room, while FBI agents went everywhere in his house to look for evidence.

"Sir, I think I found something here" said a young agent who was looking at Brennan's laptop.

"What is it?" asked Flynn.

"Well, I'm no computer expert, but something is decidedly off here. You see Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan have a camera to check on their baby's room, the camera works with the baby monitor and it shows them if everything is all right. But see, I'm sure the video was tampered with. Look…the shadows outside the window change significantly in a very short amount of time here, we need to give this to the computer techs" said the agent that had worked on a couple of cases with Booth and the Jeffersonian team.

Booth's interest was drawn by what the agent said. He had a bad feeling at the pit of his stomach. The only person who had interest in tampering with their computer was Pelant and that meant that he had come to their house. At this very moment he could not feel more relieved that Brennan and Christine were very far away from home.

"Flynn!" he called after a while "I know you don't know Bones like I do, but she did not kill anybody. This was all Pelant!" he exclaimed gesturing wildly "If you want to know what really happened to the laptop, give it to the Jeffersonian team. Angela Montenegro will find out everything there is to find out about it!"

Flynn looked at the young agent "Their team really is the best sir" he assured.

Agent Flynn nodded and the other agent packed the laptop and placed a sticker on it signaling that it had to be sent to the Jeffersonian Institute.

"Okay Booth, if it really was Pelant that came into your house and tampered with the laptop… why do you think he came?" asked Flynn, sitting down next to him.

"I've no idea… we didn't know a thing about this guy until last winter, when he was implicated in two murder cases. I don't know what goes on through his mind. The guy is a sociopath, but also a genius and I'm no genius…"

"We need to look around for anything else he might have messed up while he was here" said Flynn after a while.

Booth nodded and the other agent went on "Did you take a look around and see if anything was missing?"

"Honestly I didn't… when I got home my only thought was curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep" he honestly admitted.

"Okay, come with me and let's take a look" said Flynn patting him on the back.

Hours later the sky was turning a pale blue, the sun was rising and another day was starting. With the help of Booth the FBI team had checked everything in the house and they had gathered all the objects that Pelant could have tampered with, included Booth's bedside clock. The plan was to take them all to the Jeffersonian where the FBI would join Brennan's team and looked at all of them to see if anything was done to them. By 8 o' clock Flynn and his team left Booth alone in his house.

"I suggest you take a shower and try to sleep for a while" said Flynn while he was leaving, Booth just nodded taking a look around his, now empty, living room.

"You should come over to the Jeffersonian this afternoon and we'll grab a coffee, while I tell you about what we found out so far" he added then.

"Seriously?" Booth was surprised.

Flynn nodded "You're right… I don't know Dr. Brennan, but I know you a little and if you believe she didn't kill anybody that's enough for me. I'll help you get your family back"

"Thank you" he murmured patting the blond agent on the back.

"No problem" he answered walking towards his car.

Booth closed the door and let himself fell on the hard wood. The glimmer of hope was back. Maybe Pelant had made some mistake while tampering with the computer and who knew what else. Angela had already been able to hacker into his accounts, he knew she could find out what Pelant did with the laptop. Maybe he wouldn't have to stay without Brennan and Christine for as long as he had feared. Maybe he could hug the both of them soon enough. He went upstairs, took a look at Christine's room and then headed for the bathroom, a long shower was in order.

Meanwhile, on a deserted street Brennan and Christine were driving, heading to the first place her dad had told Brennan about, hoping that Booth was still safe and that this had been the right thing to do...

**So, what do you think? Good? Bad? I had to write it, cause the finale left me with so many feelings! I bet the same happened to you! Please review… constructive criticism is welcomed. Keep in mind English is not my first language, I try my best, but I sometimes make mistakes! **


	2. Here without you

**Disclaimer: not mine, I just wish!**

**AN: I'm back with the rest of this story… I'm so happy with the response I've gotten and all the people who put me on story alert, thank you so much! Here is the rest of it. I hope you'll like it.**

Three days had passed. Three days since he had last seen her and Christine. He wondered where they were and if they were okay. Were they missing him? Was she able to fall asleep without him? Had Christine grown already? Would she remember him when they saw each other again? Saying he was missing them was an understatement. He found it harder everyday to fall asleep because her scent was slowly fading away and the preoccupation that they wouldn't be able to prove her innocent was getting stronger. The squint squad had been his rock through this, especially after he had asked Flynn to put Parker and Rebecca under protection. The other agent had immediately agreed, thankfully he understood what kind of psycho Pelant was, but that meant that he could not see his kid until Bones was proven innocent. Angela and Cam made sure he ate at least twice a day, Hodgins was examining every bit of dirt that was found in his house, Caroline and Sweets were helping even if officially they were off the case and Wendell was doing his best to follow the evidence and prove that his mentor was innocent. Wide awake in the middle of the night he stared out of the window. The night was clear, he could see the stars shining brightly in the sky. He looked and looked until he found Delphinium, that was her favorite constellation. She had told him numerous times about the times where she looked at the stars with her mom growing up. He had always loved to hear this and hoped that she could, one day, look at the stars with Christine. Kind of like a family tradition to pass on, just like the ring her father had given her. Delphinium seemed brighter than usual, but maybe it was because of the unshed tears in his eyes. He kept on looking, sending a silent prayer to God and the universe that they were both all right, then he laid down and tried to get some sleep. Miles away, brilliant blue eyes were also looking at the sky searching for comfort. Temperance Brennan was standing on the porch of a modest looking house in the suburban area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The sky was dark and the stars could be seen clearly. She looked for Delphinium and, when she found it, she let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. Stars were usually able to calm her. Growing up she had always looked at the sky, hoping to find guidance. She had inherited the love for stars from her mother and she missed the long nights spent together, just staring at the sky, laying down in the garden of their Ohio home. When she found out that her mom had passed away, she always felt like her mom was watching her from above, guiding her in life.

"You would have done the same thing…" she whispered looking at the constellation "But it doesn't make this any easier…"

"Are you talking by yourself?" asked a quiet voice behind her.

She turned around and saw her father "I was talking to mom" she said after a while "I guess Booth has been influencing me far more than I thought…" she mused.

"You did the right thing, you know that?" he murmured.

"Deep down I know that, but it still hurts dad…"

"I know it does…"

"What if they cannot prove my innocence fast enough?" she asked after a while.

"Don't say that… your team is made up of geniuses, you said that and Booth is a great cop with good instincts and lots of friends in the FBI… they'll prove your innocence soon enough!"

"But Pelant is also a genius…" she reminded him.

"That might be true, but he's also a sociopath honey… don't you forget that!"

She nodded and stared at the sky some more "I don't want Christine to grow up without a father…" she confessed quietly after a while "I don't want her to suffer like I did growing up..."

"And she won't! You know this is just a temporary solution honey, right?"

"Yeah, I know that… but what if he gets to Booth, you don't know what he's capable of doing to his victims" she whispered.

"Do not say this, understand me? Booth is going to be just fine and you'll see him soon!

"You don't know that, dad…"

"Yes I do… you really don't think I would have organized for you run away and not protect Booth while we were on the run, right?"

"What?"

"I've talked to some buddies of mine and they'll be keeping an eye on Booth and the house when we're here" he answered like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Brennan just stared at him for a while, then she hugged him fiercely "Thank you so much" she whispered.

"Of course honey… I love Booth like if he was my own son and I have no intention of losing him or letting my granddaughter growing up without a dad!"

She just hugged him, letting her tears fall, not bothering to hold them anymore, Booth was safe, she would be back in his arms soon enough and Pelant would pay for what he had done.

"Let's get inside honey and try to get some sleep… all right?"

She nodded and followed him in the small kitchen "Do you think Angela got the package yet?" she asked.

"I don't know honey… I guess we'll know when she does, right?"

"That's right…" she answered "It's just that you gave it to that friend of yours three days ago and I was kind of hoping she would have gotten it by now…"

"I'm pretty sure she'll get it tomorrow, now let's go to bed honey…"

He closed the door, then followed his daughter as she checked on baby Christine sleeping in a portable crib.

"She still asleep?" he asked, she nodded and went in the bathroom to brush her teeth, then she retrieved Booth's Flyers t-shirt from the duffle bag she had brought along. She had been sleeping with that shirt on ever since she left, it made her feel closer to Booth somehow, even though it was not as good as the real thing of course.

The two said goodnight to each other, then Brennan went into the room where Chris was sleeping and her father went into the one on the opposite side of the hall.

The following morning began very early for Angela Montenegro. Her eleven month old boy had woken up at the crack of down, but she didn't want her husband to get up just yet, since he had gone to sleep very late the night before. When she heard the baby blabbing to himself on the monitor she quickly woke up and went into his room to get him. She turned off the monitor and brought him to the changing table.

"Good morning baby! Did you sleep okay?" the boy just smiled widely, showing her the four teeth he had.

"I'll take that as a yes!" she went on as she changed him.

When he was cleaned and changed, mother and child went downstairs and started the day. She placed Michael in his high chair with a biscuit to suck on and started the coffee maker, then she took the blender to prepare a fruit smoothie for Michael to drink for breakfast.

Half an hour later Hodgins arrived in the kitchen and found his wife eating breakfast with their son, and he once again asked himself what he had done to deserve to have the both of them in his life.

"Good morning guys!" he said cheerfully, getting closer to Michael to give him a kiss on the head. The baby blabbed at his dad, his mouth full of smoothie. Then Hodgins went to get a mug of coffee and kissed his wife on the cheek.

"Did you get some sleep?" she asked munching on her muffin.

"Yeah. I was exhausted… and you?"

"Yeah, I did get a few hours of sleep" she answered smiling tiredly "Do you think they're okay?"

"I'm sure they are… Max is with them, he was a fugitive for fifteen years, he knows what to do!"

"Yeah, that's right… but still, I cannot help but worry you know?"

He nodded "Everything will be okay… it might take a while Angie, but we'll fix everything!"

She nodded and got up "I'll get the paper" she told him going towards the door.

He turned around to look at his son, occupied with the banana, apple, milk and oatmeal smoothie in his bottle "Do you like that buddy?" he asked as the baby drank.

He smiled at him amazed at the little guy, his heart clenching at the thought of not being able to see him everyday. He had no idea about how Booth was holding on.

Angela opened the door and picked up the paper, noticing a small box next to it. She picked both items up and went back into the kitchen, handing the paper absentmindedly to her husband and placing the box on the kitchen counter. She looked at the name of the sender and gasped. _Joy Keenan. _She opened the box hurriedly without even telling her husband about it. Inside the box were two envelopes, one addressed to Booth, the other to Angela herself. Below the two envelopes were two disposable phones and picture of what looked like Christine's baptism.

"Angie what are you doing?" asked Hodgins after a while. She turned around and showed him the box.

"What is it?"

"It's from Bren…" she answered showing him the two envelopes and phones, along with the picture.

"Have you read it?"

She shook her head putting everything but her letter down on the table, then she opened the envelope.

_Dear Ange, _

_I'm sorry that I had to do this and I wasn't able to talk to you before I fled. I'm also sorry to be using you to get to Booth, but you probably understand that writing you is the safest way for us… Don't worry for us! Christine and I are going to be okay, I'm sure of this, my dad is with us and he'll protect us. I'm not sure Booth will understand my decision, but maybe he will after reading the enclosed letter. I could not go to prison for something I didn't do, I couldn't do that to Christine, I know you believe me and I'm sure you'll do anything to prove this, but in the meantime I have to stay on the run. I hope everything is fine with you, Hodgins and Michael. I've put a picture of Christine's baptism in the box, I'm sure you would have preferred to be there, but we'll have a party to celebrate that once we're back… in the meantime you can keep that picture since I've also put some snapshots of the day in Booth's envelope. Please be careful Ange. And tell the same thing to Hodgins, Cam and Mr. Bray and to Caroline and Sweets as well. I don't want anything to happen to you guys because of me. In the enclosed disposable phones I've put the number on to which you guys can contact me. The phone will be turned on everyday between 6 and 7 p.m. so I hope to hear from you soon._

_Give a big hug to my godson… I hope to see you soon!_

_Love,_

_Brennan_

When she was done reading, Angela had tears in her eyes, she put the letter down and went to hug her husband.

"At least we know they're all right" she whispered then.

"Yeah" he answered.

"And tonight I'll call her for sure" she added.

"Sounds good" he said hugging her back.

The two of them finished eating in peaceful silence, then got ready for work.

An hour later they were at the Jeffersonian. Michael was in daycare, Hodgins was working with the bug and smile guys from the FBI and Angela was in her office, trying to determine how Pelant had erased himself out of the recording from Brennan and Booth's monitor camera. The guy was sure smart, but Angela knew she could prove that video was tampered with. That's how Booth found her, busy with the Angelator decomposing the video, pixel by pixel and trying to determine where the alteration had occurred.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She turned around and smiled "Sure! How is it going?"

"Oh, you know…" he trailed off looking down to his shoes.

"Well, I have some good news for you!" she answered brightly, she went to retrieve the envelope and the phone from her purse and gave them to him.

"These were in a box left on my porch this morning" she said.

He looked at her surprised "They're from Bren!" she added although it wasn't necessary.

"How did she…?"

"I don't know… I guess her dad had something to do with it…" she answered.

"Oh… that makes sense… thanks Angela, I'll go read it in her office!" he gave her a small hug and left.

**So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Press the pretty blue button and let me know.**


	3. Beautiful disaster

**Disclaimer: still not mine!**

**AN: sorry for the delay of this! Real life got in the way. I hope you're still with me though! **

Booth left Angela's office, his heart drumming against his chest, walking towards Brennan's office. He was holding the letter in his left hand and the phone in the right one. Once he got inside her office he closed the door behind himself and sat down on the sofa. The same sofa where they had looked at their daughter months ago, the memory was still fresh in his mind. He looked at the white envelope, almost afraid to open it. It felt heavy in his hand. Sighing he put the phone down and opened the envelope. The first thing he noticed were the pictures inside. They were four, all from Christine's baptism. He looked at the first one, tears forming in his eyes. It was a shot of the three of them and the priest. He turned it around and saw something scribbled on it in Bones' neat handwriting. _Christine's baptism, May 25__th__ 2012_. She had written that down on every picture. And Booth couldn't help but smile at the fact. He looked at the last one and decided that it was his favorite. Chrissie was in his arms staring at her parents, Bones was looking down at her while holding on to Booth and he was smiling at Bones, a love struck look on his face. Max had captured the perfect moment. He was going to have it enlarged and find the perfect frame for that picture, because it was going to adorn both his office and their home. After setting the pictures down on the sofa next to the phone he finally opened the letter.

_Dear Booth,_

_Words cannot even start to explain to you how sorry I am for doing this to you. I can only imagine how you felt when you saw us drive away from you. But you have to know that I did not do that to punish you in any way or to take Christine away from you. I would have done things differently if I could. I had to do this or Pelant would have gotten his way and I would have gone to prison for something I did not do. I know you know that and I know you would have been more comfortable if you were with us, but I couldn't let you come along and ruin your reputation with the FBI. _

_I miss you so much it hurts Booth and I know you're feeling the same way right now. Just know that Christine and I are safe and that we will come back to you. I enclosed the best pictures from her baptism, hoping to give you some comfort. She has your charm smile Booth, just like Parker, did you notice that? She's not smiling much lately, she senses something is wrong and she misses you dearly. I hope we won't have to be separated for too long. Actually I know we won't be separated for long Booth, because I believe in you. I didn't know that faith was before I met you. After what had happened with my parents I had lost all hope in happy endings and I couldn't trust another person completely, it just hurt too much. But then you came along and you gave me something I didn't even know I was missing. You're the one who taught me what faith is. You're the one who made me whole again Booth, I am a happier person because of you. And I have complete faith in you Booth and I'm sure that you, the team and the other FBI Agents assigned to the case will do your best to prove what truly happened. I also believe we must celebrate Christine's baptism properly once we'll be back home and we'll put this story behind us. _

_In the phones I enclosed, I saved the number where you can reach me. My dad assured me it's untraceable and I believe him. I will turn on the phone everyday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and I hope to hear from you soon._

_I love you more than words can express Booth and I miss you so much._

_Yours, Bones_

Tears were pricking his eyes once he was done reading. It still hurt like hell, but he understood why she had taken that decision. If he had gone with them he would have become an FBI Agent on the run and that would have looked bad for sure. She had taken the right decision. She had faith in them. She knew they could prove her innocence. How fast they would be coming home was up to them. It was time for him to go remind the rest of the team about that. He looked at the four pictures once more and smiled. Bones was right. Chrissie did have his charm smile, she was spotting it in three of the four pictures. The little girl had Brennan's eyes and facial features, but the smile was all his. He just hoped he would see her again soon. He put the pictures back in the envelope along with the letter, then he put the that in one pocket and the phone in the other. He would call her that night. He missed her voice, along with everything else. He went in Angela's office and found her still working on the Angelator.

"Hey!" he said quietly upon entering "Can I come in?"

She turned around and eyed him noticing his red rimmed eyes "Of course you can!" she smiled "How are you holding up?"

"Okay" he whispered then added "I've read her letter, she sent me pictures of Chrissie's baptism"

"Yeah, she sent me one too"

"She looks just like her mom, it's scary…"

"She does, but she definitely has your smile!"

"Bones said the same thing in the letter…"

"You know she wouldn't have done it if she didn't think it was the only way for her and Christine to be safe, right?"

He nodded "Yeah… I still miss them terribly though"

"Of course you do and it's the same for them! But we will prove that Pelant is a sociopathic freak and he's the one who killed Dr. Sawyer, after that you'll have your family back in no time!" she smiled and he timidly smiled back.

He put the right hand in his pocket and took the envelope out "Do you think you could enlarge this picture for me Ange?" he asked her.

"You bet, Studly!" she grinned "It's a great shot! Who took the pictures?"

"Max, he was the only one there with us…"

"He's pretty good! Christine looks adorable here…"

"She does!" he agreed "But then again I'm pretty biased and to me she always looks adorable…"

"Just like any proud papa!" she put the picture in her scanner and opened a program in her computer.

After a couple of minutes she was done and she gave him the picture back "I'm going to enhance it a bit and then print out a few different sizes for you, all right?"

"That would be great Ange!"

"Is it okay if I keep one for me too? I really like this picture…"

"Of course! Christine is your goddaughter after all, you can have as many pictures of her as you want!" he grinned at her and she grinned back, starting to work on the picture.

"What do you think they're doing right now?" he asked after a little while still staring at the pictures.

"Well, it's morning… they probably had breakfast by now and if the weather is nice they might be in the park somewhere…" she trailed off as he nodded.

* * *

Miles away Temperance Brennan was staring out of the window. The rain was pouring down and the ocean was splashing angrily on the shore. Christine was in the playpen, engrossed by the mobile attached to it. It wasn't the one Parker had made for her, but the baby liked the different songs it played. Max had gone grocery shopping and she was left at home wondering is he had read her letter yet. She was longing to hear his voice, hoping he could take some of the insecurities away. Sure she knew he would be hurt, but just hearing his voice would make her feel better, of that she was sure. More than that she wanted to tell him she loved him. She had written that in the letter, but she wanted him to hear the words from her mouth and hear him saying them back to her. She sighed and went to sit next to Christine, picking up a book to read.

Half an hour later her father was back and she busied herself by putting the groceries away.

"How are you honey?" he asked seeing her zoned out.

"Okay…" she murmured.

"I can hear you thinking!"

"I'm just wondering if they got the letters yet…"

"I'm pretty sure they did… only one way to find out though" he answered.

She nodded as he went on "When you'll receive a call tonight we'll both be sure!"

"I hope…"

"So what do you feel like eating for lunch?"

She just shrugged.

"How about I make some chicken noodle soup? You always wanted that when you were feeling down as a kid…"

She nodded remembering "That would be great dad!" she said "Only if you let me help you though! Or else I'll drive myself crazy!"

"Of course honey, you loved to help me when you were little as well!" he reminded her smiling.

She smiled back and the two of them got to work.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Jeffersonian Institute Booth was back in Angela's office after having talked with the rest of the team to see if they had found any leads.

"Hey there... I made a couple of different colorings and also a black and white version, I thought you might like it" Angela told him upon seeing him entering.

"That's great Angela thanks"

"I'm printing them now" she added.

"Thank you much Ange!" he answered getting closer.

They were both engrossed with the printer when a sound distracted them along with Hodgins barging in Angela's office.

She looked at the Angelator that had beeped because it had finally found something that was off in the video. Booth turned towards Hodgins instead, the bug guy was grinning "I found something!" he exclaimed.

Angela turned to look at her husband as well, wondering what he had found that made him so excited...

**Sorry about the little cliffhanger, I promise you I know where I'm going with this and I'll update as soon as possible!**


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